


That Familiar Spark

by BookWerm



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fanart, Fluff, I decided to write a happy fic!!!, Ianto is alive, M/M, Marriage Proposal, No Angst in this one, Not just a fix-it, Owen is alive, Slight Smut, Steven is ALIVE, Tosh is alive, but I think that's fine, everyone is alive!!, except maybe a nightmare, very happy, we are completely ignoring canon, writing is hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:34:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookWerm/pseuds/BookWerm
Summary: It's a very special night for Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones.It's January 22nd, 2011, exactly three years since the date they had after Jack came back.Love and nerves are running high, and they are both anxious to get this exactly right.Join us for a proposal, a stag night, a wedding and so much more.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't sure if this counted as explicit but I've marked it just to be safe.  
> (As pointed out to me, this doesn't have much plot... hope you enjoy!)  
> Once again, much thanks to GnomeWithALaptop!!

It was an exceedingly rare night for the Torchwood team.

There were no Rift alerts, no alien sightings, no Weevil attacks, no paperwork to do.

Partly because of this it was an even more special night for one Captain Jack Harkness.

A sparkling glint of silver twisted and turned through his fingers as if what he held was being strung along like a marionette.

He was smiling, his whole face aglow with it. The mirror in front of him barely compared with what he felt inside.

Jack had very carefully chosen the clothes he would wear tonight. 

He didn’t want to give the occasion away too soon, but he still wanted it to be amazing, and dare he hope, magical.

He placed the ring back into its case, spun around, and then clapped his hands together.

“You’ve got this.”

  
  


On the other side of town, Ianto pulled at his tie nervously. 

Should he wear the tie? Should he not wear the tie?

He had gotten used to being more casual on some of their dates, leaving the suits for the work attire, and even turning up in T-shirts and jeans from time to time, but this was no bowling or wandering around Cardiff telling jokes and stories for hours. They had already gone golfing, ice skating, and to several movies — although most of those had been interrupted by work. And this was most definitely not getting drunk at a bar until one in the morning.

This had been planned meticulously.

A few weeks ago, Ianto had asked if Jack wanted to go on a more quiet, special date, to celebrate three years since their first “official” date together.

Jack agreed wholeheartedly, and then the fretting began.

Ianto had a small, blue case in his pocket, and it had been there for months. 

Inside a small circle of gold sat, snug in velvet. Streaks of aquamarine webbed themselves across it, and a tiny fleck of diamond lay on top.

He closed the case carefully, and took a deep breath.

Ianto decided not to wear a tie, and with a broad confident stride, he went out to meet the world.

  
  
  


The busy atmosphere of the Cardiff streets gave way to the quieter, cosy one of the Elgano Italian Restaurant. A man in a simple outfit that probably wasn’t too expensive stood quietly, waiting. As someone came closer, his face widened into a grin, and he reached out to pull the other man into a hug and a deep kiss.

“Jack, you look great!”

Jack, himself, for once was without his beautiful trenchcoat. Instead, he was simply wearing a white shirt, and charcoal waistcoat, a stark contrast to his usual wear.

Hand in hand, they walked to the front desk and a dashing young waiter showed them to their table.

Jack and Ianto sat down with their menus for a moment, glancing down at them.

  
  


After they ordered their starter, the waiter went away, and Ianto asked Jack. “So, Gwen said you went down to see Steven this morning?”

“Yeah, I did.” Jack’s eyes glistened. “It’s been really nice. I feel closer to Alice than I have in years. We went out for ice cream and to the park with Steven. He’s in a phase where he just loves dinosaurs, and he spent the trip pretending to be a diplodocus.”

“Interesting. David would much rather be a T-rex. You should see the collection of dinosaur figurines he has!”

“Bet Steven’s could beat his.”

They laughed together, and Jack began, “So have you been here before? You did suggest this place.”

“No, I haven’t been here before, but I have heard a lot about it. And, you know, it’s probably the one restaurant in Cardiff we haven’t been to together yet.”

“We have had a lot of restaurant dates.” Jack smiled. “Remember when we went to that small fish and chips place and the waiter started inserting his opinions about the aliens we mentioned?”

“And then you of all people were surprised that we had Zygons in Cardiff?”

“Hey, just because I’m old doesn’t mean I know everyone who lives here!”

The waiter brought them their bruschetta al pomodoro and they ate, a comfortable silence settling over them throughout the first part of their meal.

Once they had finished their starter and ordered their pasta (and some wine), Ianto looked at Jack curiously.

“I was a bit surprised when you decided to sleep over at the Hub last night.”

“Well, I had some paperwork to do, and-” at Ianto’s scoff, he backtracked. “It was mostly to surprise you. We always get ready together nowadays, and I bought this shirt just for the occasion.”

“You wanted to surprise me with a white shirt?”

“Yes, moving on…” 

Ianto smiled and fiddled with his fork, spinning it around. “Well, I do like the shirt. Not as much as the coat, though. Where did that go?”

“Don’t worry,” Jack said with a wink. “I haven’t gone and lost it. Or blown it up.”

“I’d rather hope not. I pride myself on taking very good care of your coat.”

“Oh, you take care of it alright.”

Ianto, though tempted to continue this line of dialogue, gave Jack a warning look and changed the subject.

“You missed something hilarious yesterday. I was visiting Myfawnwy up in her roost, and she has now decided she likes anything vaguely egg-shaped and stole the Raxicoricofallipatorian skull I was about to put away.”

“Well if she wants to be the mother of a piece of bone, I’m all for supporting her I n her pteranodon ways. Maybe we could get her a bird’s egg to hatch sometime?”

“I’m not taking care of two carnivorous, flying things that could shit on our heads at any moment. It was hard enough training Myfawnwy.”

Then the pasta arrived and they once again lapsed into a more quiet atmosphere, enjoying their food with gusto and sneaking glances over at the other from time to time. 

Jack paused for a moment after a bite.

“Are you hungry enough for seconds?”

“Hmm, mayb- uh, no.” Ianto’s face spread into a sheepish grin.

“Great, because I’m not either.” Ianto’s eyebrows went up in disbelief, and Jack put his hands up in surrender. “Really, I’m not. And I was thinking we could go to Sophia Gardens?”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

They stood up together and Ianto offered his arm.

Jack took it, and after depositing  £ 60 with their waiter, they left the restaurant.

It was a short five-minute walk to the garden, and Ianto’s heart was racing all the way.

This wasn’t exactly what he had planned, but it could definitely work. Sophia Gardens park could be a beautiful, quiet spot. He caught a glimpse of the trees. They were almost there.

As they entered the park, Jack and Ianto both began to speak at once.

“I r-” 

“Through-”

They froze for only a moment before both continuing:

“You go first.”

At this point, Jack burst out laughing and Ianto smiled.

After a moment they began walking again. They strolled together in the garden beneath the bright moonlight. The wind blew through Ianto’s hair.

He began to speak, this time without interruptions. “Tonight has been wonderful. I’ve loved spending time with you, and there’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a while now. Since the first day I met you, I knew you were beautiful and charming. But over time, I’ve come to know so much more. You care so much about the people you take into your heart. You put everything you are into what you do. I love the way you smile at the little things, the time you take to make sure I’m alright whenever I get hurt, and the lengths you would go to to prevent that. Jack Harkness, you are amazing, and you are my everything.” Ianto paused, cocked his head slightly and smiled.

“I guess what I’m really trying to say is,” in one fluid motion, he pulled out the ring box and got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

The bridge under his knees was made of solid concrete, and water bubbled quietly below.

Jack opened his mouth and managed to croak out a “Yes.”

Ianto lunged forward and drew Jack into a kiss, heart racing. They kissed passionately, melting into each other like they were two parts of the same whole.

Eventually, Ianto pulled away to breathe and to slide the ring onto Jack’s finger.

Jack smiled, looking at Ianto, his whole world, and then pulled out a ring box of his own. “May I?”

Stunned, Ianto simply nodded.

A simple silver band entwined within an emerald infinity symbol slid onto his finger.

Jack kissed him once more and said, “I love you.”

Ianto breathed, “I love you, too,” looking into Jack’s eyes.

Jack’s face was soft; his eyes felt like a warm day at a tropical beach, and Ianto was about ready to fall into them or start kissing the breath out of him.

Jack’s smile grew and he remarked, “While I’m sure you’d love to celebrate out here, I have in fact booked a room at the Elgano. It’s a hotel, as well.”

“Yeah, I knew that.”

Ianto had booked a room as well, but it was money well wasted.

Jack seemed just a little lighter on the way back, and he had a spring in his step. Ianto practically skipped some of the way. 

On their way up to their room, Ianto kept glancing at the ring adorning his finger every few seconds, as if expecting it to have disappeared. 

Jack brought Ianto’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. “This... this is real. I’m your fiance.”

“You sound like you’re having trouble believing it yourself.”

“You’re just so… Ianto, there aren’t even words.”

As he said this, they reached their room. Jack handed Ianto the key, Ianto pushed open the door, and they stepped inside.

A soft red carpet met their feet, and there was a coffee maker and a door to a bathroom on their right, but what really caught their eye lay in the centre of the room: a red cover with a comfortable double bed.

They barely stopped to take in the room. It wasn’t important.

Ianto murmured, “There don’t have to be any words,” and cradling Jack’s face in his hands, drew him into a kiss until he was breathless. Jack felt like life, like warmth. He was his everything. He moved with Jack desperately, as if by kissing him hard enough he would find the secret to life. When Jack moved his tongue in just the right way, and Ianto’s heart skipped a beat.

Electricity surged in his veins, pulling him forward. He pushed Jack against the wall and his lips left Jack’s for a moment as his hands roamed across the waistcoat.

Jack helped him, nimble fingers picking at the buttons. Together they made surprisingly short work of it and Jack’s chest was bare.  Ianto’s fingers trailed across Jack’s arms, slowly, carefully, tracing a pattern only he could see.

When he got to Jack’s wrists, he placed Jack’s hands on his waist and watched as the sparks in Jack’s eyes grew brighter.

Jack reached down to Ianto’s belt, whispering in his ear, “May I?”

Ianto’s heart was pounding in his ears. Jack’s voice made him weak in the knees even now. “God, yes,” he said in practically one breath.

The belt having been pulled off and set to the side, Jack sunk to his knees and expertly undid his fly with his teeth. 

Jack reverently slipped Ianto out of his boxers, and, looking up into Ianto’s eyes, licked a stripe from the base all the way to the tip. 

Ianto shuddered, letting out a low hum.

Then Jack engulfed him in warm, wet bliss and he swore he could see stars.

Jack’s tongue began to caress him, swirling and stroking in tandem with his fingers and their smooth, slick grip on him.

He hollowed his cheeks while stroking, making Ianto gasp, and deepthroated him.

As Jack’s rhythmic motions went on, Ianto, flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat, stuttered,”F-fuck, Jack, I’m going to -”

His vision went dark around the edges as sparks flew, and he came with a breathy moan.

Coming back down to earth, he shimmied out of his trousers and boxers the rest of the way, and with a happy sigh plopped himself down onto the bed, Jack quickly following him.

Soon enough, Jack began tickling Ianto.

Between laughing, Ianto gasped, "What's this for?"

Jack paused the torturous tickles and grinned.

“You beat me to getting down on one knee. I’m gonna get you back for that.”

A mischievous twinkle in his eye, Ianto said, “Oh, really?” Ianto growled and then pounced, flipping over and pinning Jack to the bed, skin against skin, noses inches apart.

Jack, completely straight-faced, said, “Are you going to eat me?”

Ianto laughed. “I think I will.”

" alt="A hand-drawn, digitally colored image of Jack and Ianto holding hands. Ianto is wearing a light pink shirt, brown belt, and grey slacks and is on the left of the picture and Jack is on the right of the picture and is wearing a charcoal waistcoat, black trousers, and a white shirt. " />

" alt="A hand drawn image of two rings. A silver ring with a green infinity symbol at the top right, the one Jack gave to Ianto. And a golden ring with aquamarine spiderwebbed across it and a small diamond on the bottom left, the one Ianto gave to Jack." />


	2. Chapter 2

Ianto slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was warm, senses smothered by comfortable morning-after tiredness. The covers were all on the other side of the bed, where Jack lay.

His fiance.

Last night had really happened.

Jack cracked an eye open and looked at Ianto.

He smiled.

“Good morning.”

Ianto pulled Jack in closer.

“Morning.”

They lay together like that for a while, each soaking in the brightness and warmth of the other, pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Brrrrrng! The pile of clothes on the floor began enthusiastically vibrating.

Jack groaned and curled in tighter against Ianto. The buzzing continued.

Ianto sat up and nudged Jack. “Come on. We’ve got to get up.”

“Who says?”

“Regrettably, I do. Now come on.”

Ianto, surprisingly chipper for the situation, hummed as he searched through the clothes for the source of the ringing.

He emerged, triumphantly holding up Jack’s cell. 

He flipped it open and answered it. “Hello?”

Owen’s voice answered. “Where’s Jack?”

“Currently, uh, preoccupied.”

Jack sighed and made a ‘give it here’ motion with one hand. “Hand it over.”

Jack put it on speaker, and Owen continued.

“I know you said you wanted today off, but something’s come up and it’s right next to Ianto’s flat.”

Ianto spoke up. “Tell us more.”

Jack stood , retrieving a duffel bag of clothes from behind the bed, and began to get dressed.

“We don’t know much. It seems to be a non-Rift related temporal fluctuation, localized and small. Beyond that, it’s really just guesswork.” Tosh said.

Ianto, having joined Jack in getting dressed, said, “We’re on our way.”

They could hear a muffled snicker. “Alright. Keep in touch,” Owen said.

Jack quickly shoved all of last night’s attire into the bag to Ianto’s (slight) protests, and they headed out the door.

Ianto insisted on driving. It _was_ his car, and Jack, though fast, could be very reckless.

They arrived at Ianto’s building, everything seemed normal at first.

People walked by with their dogs and cars honked at each other.

There was a young kid, maybe ten years old, sitting on the front steps.

Jack cleared his throat. “Um, kid? Have you seen anything weird a-”

Ianto looked at Jack. His mouth was still open, his eyes wide in shock.

“Where did you get that?”

Dangling slightly on the little boy’s wrist was a vortex manipulator.

Instead of replying, his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Finally, he sobbed, “I’m sorry, Da-” here he caught himself, “I’m sorry, I’m going to put it back.” He glanced at his wrist. “But I don’t know how!”

Ianto knelt down next to him.

“It’s going to be alright. What’s your name?”

At this, the boy began to sob harder.

Jack sat down next to them.

“Let’s see if I understand. You used this and now you need to give it back?”

He nodded, tears still streaming down his face.

“Well, I know how to fix that. May I?”

The boy reached his arm out to Jack, who quickly tapped a few buttons and then let go.

“Now just push this one here,” he pointed,” And you’ll be right back where you started.”

He nodded and then pushed it, disappearing in a flash of light.

Ianto said, “He had a working vortex manipulator.”

“With my name on it,” Jack breathed.

“He’s gonna be in trouble when he gets back. Do you think he’s your…”

“ _Our_ kid? Yes. I got a look at when he was going back to. It seems likely.”

Awestruck, Ianto whispered, “We could have a kid.”

“As many as you want.” Jack kissed Ianto, and then stood up, helping Ianto up as well.

“Now we just have to tell the team something.”

Jack took his comm piece out of his pocket and turned it on. Tosh’s voice answered.

“Jack? What was it? Are you alright?”

“A kid had got hold of a vortex manipulator, used it to travel back in time. We sent him back.” Here he cracked a smile. ”Hopefully, future us will be able to deal with it.”

He let go of the earpiece.

“Would you like to go in and take a shower?”

“Depends,” said Ianto, eyebrows raised. “Do we have the time?”

“I’m sure they can handle the Hub for a little while longer.”

In their flat, Ianto put their clothes in the wash and together they placed their rings on the bathroom counter.

Ianto turned the knob, and a warm spray washed over them. For a while they just stood there. Jack slowly rubbed circles into Ianto’s shoulder blades and kneaded deep into the tense parts of Ianto’s back, loosening the knots. It felt heavenly.

They got around to washing eventually, meticulously running a washcloth over each other’s bodies, soaking in the warmth from the water.

Ianto and Jack stepped out of the shower together into a steam filled bathroom. Ianto smiled when he saw the rings on their fingers, and Jack dried his hair. Every time Ianto was reminded of the fact that he and Jack were engaged, it felt like the world got a little brighter.

They arrived at the Hub at ten o'clock in the morning.

Everyone was waiting around the conference table and stopped talking as soon as Jack and Ianto walked in.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “There’s not much to be briefed on.”

Tosh sprang up from her seat,“Do you know where he got a vortex manipulator from? Is yours the only one?” 

Gwen asked,“When did you send him back to?”

Jack put his hands up, “Alright, I’ll-”

He was interrupted by a shriek from Gwen. She gestured toward Jack’s hand in excitement, and the others quickly looked to see what it was about.

“You got engaged?!” 

“When was this?” Tosh smiled.

“About time.” Owen said.

Jack glanced at his ring and smiled.

“ I’ll answer your questions about this morning’s time travel first, if that’s okay with you?” he teased.

Gwen groaned.

Jack looked at Ianto, who nodded.

“Ianto and I think we might know who the young boy was. He… almost called me Dad, and the vortex manipulator he had, though functional, was obviously mine. I’m not sure I should say when he went back to, though.”

“Understandable.”

Gwen, already shocked, somehow seemed even more so.

Tosh just said, “Wow.”

Owen blinked slowly.

“You guys just drop on us that you got engaged and now you have a mysterious future kid?”

Ianto said,”Hey, it caught me off guard, too!”

Gwen cut in. “The proposal caught you off guard?”

Jack said,”Actually, Ianto proposed.” “No, the mysterious future kid did.”

“I’m so happy for you two!” Tosh jumped up and wrapped them both in a crushing hug.

“You’ve got to tell us all about it!” said Gwen after she joined the hug as well.

They spent a while just talking and spending time together before getting to work.


End file.
